


A shot across stardust

by Blaiddyd_Queso



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Smut, F/M, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, Grief/Mourning, M/M, Minor Annette Fantine Dominic/Felix Hugo Fraldarius, Minor Ashe Duran | Ashe Ubert/Yuris Leclair | Yuri Leclerc, Minor Ingrid Brandl Galatea/Sylvain Jose Gautier, Minor Mercedes von Martritz/Dedue Molinaro, Multi, My Unit | Byleth Has Emotions, Power Dynamics, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers, Unethical Experimentation, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-16 21:34:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28713603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blaiddyd_Queso/pseuds/Blaiddyd_Queso
Summary: Byleth is a bounty hunter in need of a new AI team for her spacecraft, but she is low on funds. Gaining a cheap "Faerghus 4 AI" with many return tags on it, Byleth embarks back into her ship not only with software but also with Android series DIMITRI1220-AB. Dimitri, being the new master AI of SSF-SIRIUS, spends most of his time with the captain and quickly becomes enraptured by her timid smiles.--Project for FE3HAU Big Bang. Will be completed before the 16th of February.
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 12
Kudos: 35
Collections: The Three Houses AU Bang





	A shot across stardust

**Author's Note:**

> I'm very excited for this project! Major warning that this story will contain smut but due that it's not in this chapter just yet, rating will stay on M. For now. Please know it will turn E next chapter jkfkdj. Thank you so much to [Emie](https://twitter.com/emiemie27/status/1349184593530920961?s=20) for their incredible support and patience. Thank you so much for giving me the honor of being your partner. Please, check out their art account that has FE3H, Genshin Impact and so much more.
> 
> And of course, special thanks for all the readers here. For your kindness and patience, for witstanding my blabbers in my twitter. I hope all of you have a better year than the prior one!  
> \--
> 
> I want to clarify that I won't be diving too deep how the different systems of power work here. I will be focusing more on stupid space shenanigans with our blue lions and a little yuri bird. If you are itching for a space opera with juicy, delicious and incredible world building that deals with politics, please you must read [Antumbra](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24884893/chapters/60209080) by nicole_writes
> 
> \--  
> I'm mexican so I make a few injoke stuff about my culture dkdsk I'm sure my mellow latine moots will catch a few <3
> 
> When writing this I had [Stray](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kucGEjGLeY) by Steve Conte on a loop.

* * *

* * *

START SERVER

Turning on logging…

dumpnsf-w

[20S9:0702-0JS2]

[GoodbyeSothis.log]: 01/ 31/ 4060 12:01 > SSF-SIRIUS.server.txt

**UNKNOWN ORBIT**  
**DARK SPACE- INSIDE SSF-SIRIUS. NAVIGATION**

The screech of red alarms across the long hallway made Byleth’s eyes bleed. Small lights going high and low as she rushed into the crew cabin while wearing nothing but her pajama shorts and a black t-shirt. With a grunt, she plops over the Captain’s chair and takes control of navigation.

“Took you long enough!” A woman screeched,her voice was high pitched. “Always oversleeping! I won’t coddle you in the middle of a crisis. Which I warned you about, mind you!”

“Sothis! What the hell is going on?” Byleth shouts to her private AI that colored most screens green.

“Less talking and more driving!” Sothis says as she inputs a command to start the lower engines, “As I had warned you a few hours ago, a star would explode and sharp debris would annihilate this ship and you along with it. Well guess what now, we have flying junk everywhere!” Sothis appears beside Byleth in a hologram, holding her hips, ready to keep chiding.

“but you ignored me!” Her long hair sways with her grunt. “and you left the manual pilot on! I was a sitting duck.”

“I was drunk.” Byleth admits monotone, rubbing her irritated eyes with an arm.

“You’re still drunk, you’re always drunk!” Sothis pulled on her braids, “but that doesn’t matter right now! You must drive across the meteorite system and overload this ship with cosmo energy if you want to FTL and Hyper Jump!”

“FTL?” Byleth’s eyes gleam a little in recognition, mouth staying thin though still dry. Her hands clench the steering controls, maneuvering her spaceship in a 180 angle before thrusting ahead with roaring engines. The ship’s shields began sparkling with blue flashes.

“Seriously? Faster Than Light, Byleth!” Sothis dims most lights, saving all energy just for the reactors. “Oh, you’re such a sufferable boulder!”

“and you scream more than you explain. Why would I need to hyper jump for mere space garbage?” Byleth mumbles.

“No, I take it back!I would prefer a bolder! At least I could stick googly eyes on a rock to have some expression!”

Before Byleth could bite back at Sothis’s bark, a large meteor struck them across a short wing, spinning them out of control and crashing against harder objects lost in the space debris. With visual bars shutting down and the spacecraft caught in complete darkness. Emergency dim lights came up; they did their task, but heated the lobby to Byleth’s dismay.

With disarrayed hair and a seat belt tightly adjusted on her waist by Sothis, Byleth inputs a forced scan to tabulate damages. “Fuck,” Every limb felt sore, ”Sothis. Hey, are you up?”

“YOU FOOL!” All screens became green before displaying the outside view.

“I’ll take that as yes.” Byleth confirmed with a weak grin.

“What were you thinking charging right into a meteorite system?” Sothis sounds more disappointed than angered, “Do you wish to die?”

Byleth stays quiet as she reads logs and error scans that color her face red, but Sothis saw it, just the tiniest hint of a frown caught with guilt on her face. Her blue eyes move towards hers, and Sothis recognizes a sensation she is yet to understand.

Tiredness.

Perhaps it was her fault for pushing Byleth to accept missions despite the struggle in her heart after losing Jeralt. If only she could input insulation to Byleth’s weeping heart as easily as she did to the brakes.

The worst of the debris seemed to have gone by, perhaps her system miscalculated the danger. “Just get us out of here, will you? You better stop by a flea market and get me a nice novela when all of this is over.” Sothis crosses her arms, running a damage report that luckily just tallied exterior damage that was mostly cosmetic.

Byleth puffs air out of her nose, admitting defeat. She reached for a helmet that was hooked beside the chief pilot’s seat,it was pitch black and had two small horns as decoration. Beyond the aesthetic of mystery, it was useful for a more interactive flight and quick calibration. “Teresa?”

“Obviously. Don’t forget to buy an order of spicy wings too on the way back.”

“You can’t even taste or eat.” Byleth dismisses with a nod.

“but you can, that’s enough. There’s an odd satisfaction of seeing you stuff your face…” Sothis holds her chin, “It’s almost fascinating.”

Byleth turns away from her compliment-insult, “Thanks...for being here. I’m sorry for…”

“Oh, quiet you. Don’t forget you and I are one. So stop acting dumb, and please, try holding the bottle a little less adamantly.” She hums, coming over to pretend she’s resting against Byleth’s shoulder. “At least when we are in the middle of nowhere, as a start.”

Byleth can’t feel her, yet she feels warm. Creases form on the corner of her eyes when she smiles “You got it.”

Despite the calmness, sensors roar with alerts and the spaceship is once again caught in peril. Byleth can only recall Sothis’s annoyance at displaying a view of a planet explosion in the cluster of whatever galaxy they are in, yet the nervous sweat accumulating on her forehead when they meet the image of a black hole felt very vivid.

Hyper-jump was impossible since this entire area’s gravity was now compromised, and while they may escape the lull of the black hole, Byleth doesn’t believe a miracle will happen where they aren’t hit by waves of radiation. Black holes don’t just consume everything around them after all,they blast out beams of energy; in a sense, it reminds her of her stomach after visiting a taco fest.

Maybe Byleth shouldn’t be thinking about delicious 4X20 tacos when she’s about to die. Though, perhaps this is the time to think about it.

“Sothis, enter sleep mode and reserve yourself in the platinum digital safe of this ship.” Byleth is flicking a few switches in front of her, resting idly on her seat after inputting Auto-Pilot. There was nowhere to fly yet nothing ahead either,the galaxy was bathed in orange and black lights with no stars in sight. “Some scraper should find you when the worst passes by here.”

There’s silence, “Sothis?”

“Are you prepared to die?” Sothis’s voice breaks out from the beeping alarms, weakly but determined. Her hologram was nowhere to be seen.

“I am. I think I have been ready to do so for a while now.” Byleth sinks into her seat.

“You still banter, even in a time like this?” Sothis muses, “I still remember how Jeralt often said you barely talked or laughed. And yet, he forgot to tell me you didn’t cry either.”

Byleth didn’t like where this was going, “Yeah, my father was quite the liar, wasn’t he? In the most inconvenient of ways,too.” Her smile is wry, “He’s probably struggling in his grave, aggravated that his ship will become nothing but dust.”

“Hah,” Sothis’s chuckle is weak, “This ship is far more resilient than you think, and so are you.”

While Byleth studied her words, suddenly her seat laid flat on the steel floor; soon converting into a small fast travel pod that was being moved from under the main floor. She panics, believing she would be ejected into outer space, “Sothis! What are you doing!No, let me die on this ship!”

“Quiet now!” Sothis snaps, “The time has come for you to stop this self-pity! There is nothing but one thing left to do.”

Byleth’s eyes shine with panic,her hands crash against the strong glass at front; scratching,digging, sliding. “No Sothis! Stop this!” The pod stops in a chamber she always feared. Being ejected into outer space was better than this pod getting calibrated inside of another that had labeled ‘Suspended Animation’ on the side.

On the glass, the commands for cryo flash by. A series of numbers and letters slide before the glass freezes. Her syncro levels rate from yellow to green until they plunge in red; she was wailing, trying desperately to not get caught into stasis.

A sedative gas finally made its way to her, and slowly Byleth went limp against her seat; her eyes moved around slower and rate bars went high in green.

It’s suddenly getting cold.

“Sothis…” Byleth calls weakly,eyes narrowing as her skin feels dry, “Why are you doing this? The pod needs a running AI...The radiation will damage both of us, this is futile. Death will reach both of us now.”

“ I cannot die as long as you live and remember me. You and I will never be apart, Byleth.” Sothis’s voice is calm too, “I may not know how Teresa’s ending was...but this has certainly been fun. Thank you.”

“ You dumb AI.” Byleth bottles up a sniff, her vision is too blurred now. The glass completely freezes over before it becomes cyan blue; there are no explosions or alarms. Just her breathing that feels shallow.

“By…”

“...Yeah?”

“...How does Teresa end?”

After a moment of silence and darkness, Byleth’s cracked lips mutter, “Arturo comes back, forgiving her. They hug.”

“Ah...What a dumb ending. I love it.” She sighs, "Nos da, By..."

* * *

12/ 20/ 4065 20:01

Fódlan

FHIRDIAD MARKET DISTRICT- ANNA’S SHOP

“I wouldn’t grab that if I were you.” A glare of green meets Anna’s way, and she laughs nervously. “I mean, I don’t think a system like that can be useful for the Ashen Demon.”

“How do you know what it’s best for me?”

Trying not to falter against the bottomless wells that Byleth has for eyes, Anna’s chuckles far more relaxed “Well,it’s my job to know what you need. I am a merchant, after all.”

Byleth plays with the old floppy disc in her hand. She won’t deny her surprise at seeing these types of memory drives still existing. “This nasty bunch has a few return tickets on them. Not as effective as you’re selling them off, are you?”

Anna rests further over the steel counter. Low orange lights protect them from the frigid air outside this store made of rusted iron and concrete walls. “All my products are high quality. That people sometimes don’t heed the warnings is not my fault.”

Byleth walks closer to the counter and hands over the floppy disc. Anna’s eyes shine with glee, “Well, I’ll try to heed most of them. They are quite expensive for a simple application download.”

“That’s because it’s not just software.” Anna points briefly to a pile of junk over a table. Byleth’s gaze goes over it until focusing over a wall where a set of droids rest inside vertical capsules that emanated a blue light. Cooling units that keep machinery in a curated state.

  
Between the row of droids, she sees an android. Her hands curl into fists and gives Anna a look when she recognizes the class type and serial number on the android’s uniform. “Is that…”

“Inspect. I don’t charge. Well,” Anna plays with a red curl, “Not usually. You’re a special case!”

  
Byleth doubts Earth’s gravity is the major reason why her stomach feels so queasy. With every step she takes, her intake of information from the android’s features finally flow in better. He was tall, wearing a fine polished uniform that is quite outdated for today’s standards, she believes. Over his left pectoral she could see his model and name.

  
“Dimitri1220-AB.” She muses with a frown that thankfully doesn’t reflect over the glass that separates them, “My father used to tell me countless tales of this series—a unit could destroy an entire city with no weapons equipped.”

  
“Enough core power to push a bulldog spacecraft out of the dock area.” Anna adds too, “Your dad lived through those times when he was a kid, yeah? I can’t imagine how terrifying it was to see an entire fleet of them used in a battlefield.We’re lucky that we didn’t live during the android wars between the former settlements of power, huh?”

  
Surviving the aftermath in Fódlan was not that much better with nothing left from the Adrestian Empire or The Holy Kingdom of Faerghus. Jeralt only survived by being a refugee in Leicester territory until he grew up and formed his space merc lobby.

“Created as the ultimate weapon, said to be based on His Majesty, the Savior King—Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd of 1185…” Byleth nods simply, pushing pointless thoughts away.

  
At least, she tried to do so. “My father had fond memories of this series...for all the destruction they caused, their defense AI prioritized saving orphans and extinguishing fires. Developers never managed to “fix” that bug.” Byleth’s hand ghosts over the glass. “He was saved by a Dimitri1220-AB when he was caught in a forest fire while trying to access Daphnel territory through Galatea region.”

  
Anna is taken aback by Byleth’s sudden openness, she gently follows, “Did he ever tell you about the rumors that maybe the consciousness of the real Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd and his loyal retainers rest inside in one of the 1220-AB series?”

  
“For how much my old man stirred the pot, he didn’t exactly enjoy spreading shitty rumors and legends.” Byleth mumbles. “Look at you…” Her gaze stays over his large hands that were folded over his lap, “ending up as decorative scrap metal…” Her father would probably weep at that, not that he ever cried much.

For that’s all an android is once it has no master to follow or will to achieve.

Byleth stares at Dimitri1220-AB’s face. His cryo stasis gave him a tense expression and posture that emphasized the strength of his jaw and shoulders.

  
Anna finally hums, “Maybe I should charge you for staring. Hon, you will tear him up.” Byleth doesn’t react, as expected, but she catches the briefest of movements from her head. That was a win itself, even if she couldn’t bank on it.

  
“Less than 10,000 glintz for an operation system that comes with three units and an android that serves as a Master AI. What is the catch here, Anna?” Byleth faces her.

  
“Overdrive failures—and even if you bought the floppy disc, the only way to install it is if you make him operational as well.” Anna sighs, “Glitches, constant updates and needing calibration every two-three days since he’s prone to insubordination.”

“Ah. He’s sentient and doesn’t tolerate abuse.”

“Hm...that sums it up, pretty much.”

Byleth appreciates a Master AI that doesn’t get their tongue curled up when calling her a fool.

“You have a deal.”

* * *

12/ 20/ 4065 20:37

Fódlan

FHIRDIAD DOCK AREA- INSIDE SSF-SIRIUS.

Annette observes with wide eyes the scene before her, only reacting when her hologram tablet slips from her fingers and crashes onto the floor with a set of beeps until no light comes out from it. Her manual coding was now gone. “Byleth!” She shrieks and rushes over to her friend and captain, passing through the small room that served as the spacecraft’s medical area.

The scent of alcohol, oil and sweets tickles Byleth’s nose, but not as much as Dimitri1220-AB’s breath as it brushes over her neck. Her stoic features remain the same even when Annette assists her over setting the newly bought android over the large table that was set in the middle of the room. It is until then that Byleth feels the toll of dragging such a heavy android across town over her back.

Another woman stands from her spot as well, the designated medic of the SSF-SIRIUS. “Is he injured? By Seiros’s light, what happened!” Mercedes scans further, furrowing her eyebrows when she inspects the body and scores an answer by her own.

“Oh my, this is…”

“He is Dimitri1220-AB.” Byleth confirms slightly out of breath before resting where Annette previously sat, splaying her legs apart and letting her head fall back. “He will be our new Master AI. If he accepts the job, that is.”

Annette gives Byleth a skeptical look, pushing her hands inside her white lab coat while trying to discern her friend’s thought process. “You already activated basic biological functions, hence he is breathing and the settings of his bio-components are running.” She notes, “Why didn’t you wake him up fully?”

“By the sound of things, our friend here doesn’t exactly end well with previous employers—and I don’t blame him.” Byleth nonchalantly explains as she looks inside her cleavage for the floppy disc. “He’s not alone. Apparently another set of individuals are being hosted here. At least the activation code is there—I imagine the rest lies sleeping deep within his Blaiddyd core.” She throws the floppy disc across, Annette barely has the time to catch it.

“A Blaiddyd core…” Annette nods, going over the android that still slept. Her eyes shift between the floppy disc and him. “Byleth. You know, with his core we could…”

“No.” A firm response. Byleth stretches a hand over her hip, reaching for a small reflective shield that appears to be a small metal gear when not activated. “I didn’t buy him for extra scrap metal. He’s sentient, Annette.”

With a quiet sigh, Annette holds the floppy disc with both hands. Catching the names Sylvain, Felix and Ingrid before staring at Byleth again.

“I will prepare a tranquilizer.” Mercedes said, going towards the shelves in the room.

“You better grab a neutralizer gun.” Byleth suggests while rubbing her nose.

“Byleth!” Annette shrieks again.

“He’s dangerous, Annette. We can’t deny his prowess.” Mercedes kindly agrees, “We don’t want to hurt him, or for us to get hurt. Poor thing,” she shakes her head, “I can only wonder how long he has been asleep in a constant state of shock…”

How long indeed. Byleth wants to grimace, but her face doesn’t shift in the slightest. Her body reacts as the only way it knows how; reaching for her flask and unscrewing the top. “Forget the tranquilizer. Both of you,grab the neutralizers—leave deescalation to me.”

Both women raise their eyebrows,“As if we were going to try something different,” Annette is the one to pout and speak, not agreeing with the idea fully but seeing no other option. Byleth getting a rush of alcohol is not very reassuring either.

Mercedes just giggles, finding Byleth’s protectiveness welcomed after days of feeble interaction. “Yes, m’am.”

With blood rushing yet fingertips feeling cold, everyone took a unique vantage point around the table. Byleth leaves her flask behind anew and concentrates on her shield, rotating a few gears from it in order to pass by the different channels it offered. She pretends that nobody heard how her radio setting is a podcast dedicated to fishing, and definitely how a channel narrated a soap opera set in medieval times.

Byleth smacks her device until it beeps diverse options—sending and receiving messages, ordering specials online, and activating a shield that rebounds most projectiles and energy sources. It is until the 5th or 4th smack, that she finally finds the function of inputting commands via QR codes, infrared light and other options she doesn’t remember right now.

Byleth stood the closest to him, while Annette and Mercedes pointed a neutralizer gun from a safe distance. For the first time in years, her ears feel like they burn for another reason that isn’t addictive. Though fear and adrenaline are close related, and so satisfying when everything feels numb. She nears the device near his LED circle that glows faintly with blue light over his forehead, waiting for a process to be input and make both devices synchronize.

After almost an endless sigh that is stuck on everyone’s throat, his fingers and eyelids flinch. Byleth observes him carefully until a set of blue, intense eyes that lack pupils meet hers. She could see most of her reflection on them as one does over a body of water.

They were...pretty. Carefully, she moves her device away and tries to hook it back unto her belt; failing miserably as the android sits up swiftly and holds her by the arms with force. Annette and Mercedes charge their guns but resist when he finally speaks.

“There has been a terrible error! Please, do not delete—delete, delete—” His speech is agitated, stumbling weakly. The tranquil blue of his eyes fades as it’s replaced by a vivid red until both his eyes only host a harsh bright blue that begins to be overwhelmed by long rows of code inputs that escalate with different hues. “Searching...searching...back-up. Finding resources. Loading! Unable to account for inconsistencies! Missing, missing!”

Byleth only stares at him, staying still as his system fully connects. Her arms felt numb, but her legs maintain both of them from meeting the floor. Gritting her teeth, she barks a command, “Annette, load a disruptive wave! Hurry!”

Annette leaves behind her weapon and grabs the tablet that was still on the floor, moving quickly to calibrate it and input a command. “Here we go!” With a red light scanning the android’s body, all error codes of his eyes vanish until they match the emptiness of Byleth’s.

Byleth’s arms are soon freed, being her responsibility now as the android almost slumps forward out of breath. He fans over her face as he still tests. Slowly, pupils appear in the center of his eyes even if small lines of color are still adjusting over his blues. “Hey. You’re aboard SSF-SIRIUS. A mercenary spacecraft with neutral liberties across the federation. This is a safe zone.” She doesn’t know why there’s a reason to reassure him, even though this empathy that simmers within has an appropriate answer.

An odd sensation tugs in her chest at seeing him in despair, confused, agitated, hurt. “Safe...zone.” He repeats carefully, though louder. His voice tunes in well.

“Here, rest on the bed.” Byleth lulls him down. His hands reach for her arms again, without warning, bringing their faces closer until the side of their noses touch. Mercedes and Annette gasp, while Byleth stays still. A small light lines out from the android’s right eye, scanning hers.

“Identity...Byleth Eisner. Former Teacher of Garreg Mach Institution—Aerotech Engineer. Renown mercenary with a bounty listed in 100,000 glintz for her crimes acted upon as "The Ashen Demon”.”

“Yes, that’s me.” Byleth confirms, slowly pulling away from him. “That’s...a pretty good scanner.” It was no wonder why their model never missed to find a target.

“100,000?” Mercedes sets the neutralizer aside. “It was 30,000 last week.”

“They are getting desperate.” Annette had sat down on the floor, smiling shyly. “Some people can’t get a no.”

“You can buy a nice patch of space debris with that…” Byleth contemplates, focusing on the android again as he’s still holding down to her arms.

“Please. I need your help—I possess no wealth, but the status of my bio-components are 100%, and can be redistributed as you please for the best profit.”

“Stay calm.” Byleth tries to reason, “How about giving me your name? We can go from there.”

His hands finally leave her, resting by his sides.”Dimitri1220-AB. Dimitri.” His LED circles from red, orange and purple until it finally sets with a blue that matches his eyes. “Researching… recuperated data footage of the last 60 minutes while in sleep mode displaying.”

Annette finally leaves the ground and all women stand closer. From Dimitri’s right eye, a hologram is displayed above his face with a compilation of events. They had a few visuals that came from inside a cryo tube. Byleth’s head throbs.

Next, they have the scenes of Byleth dragging him across the streets of Downtown in Fhirdiad. Her neutral face is enough of a warning against Mercedes and Annette who hold back their mischievous comments, for now.

  
“Recovery of IngridBG.exe, FelixHF.exe and SylvainJG.exe finished. Data successfully updated. New purchase protocol installed—Byleth Eisner, owner of Dimitri1220-AB. Eager to serve you.” Dimitri looks at Byleth with a small smile. “Open clause for pet name. Open clause for relationship status. Waiting…”

Oh no, no no no.

“No. Wait a minute here.” Byleth lifts her hands lightly. “No pet names. No owners. No relationship.”

Her stoic answer doesn’t discourage him, instead he sits up and scans Annette’s and Mercedes’s eyes. “Annette Fantine Dominic. Graduate of Garreg Mach—Bioengineer specialized in tissue engineering. Reigning champion of best vocals and original lyrics in Lunar Outer Space. An honor to make your acquaintance.”

“Oh, that’s right!” Annette brought her hands together. “That’s amazing.”

Byleth went back to the chair, sitting down silently.

“Mercedes von Martritz. Graduate of Garreg Mach—Primary care physician.Reigning queen of best pastries in Fodlan’s Spring Pastry Festival. Pleased to be assisting you.”

“Oh wow, how could you know that?” Mercedes looks at Byleth, “Oh Captain, can we truly not give him a pet name? He’s so earnest and sweet.”

“Come on, Byleth! We need to check the rest of them now!”

Like that, they have forgotten about his meltdown.

* * *

12/ 20/ 4065 21:37

EARTH’S ORBIT

INSIDE SSF-SIRIUS. NAVIGATION.

“I won’t be programming a relationship or name.” Byleth readjusts her helmet as she settles in command. Sliding a few keyboards into place, ready to manually update a few code indexes and commands. “As for me, you can refer to me as Byleth or Captain. Is that clear?”

Dimitri stared at her with attentive eyes. His old uniform had been replaced by a generic soldier brand that fitted him well and didn’t interfere with his movements. A line of blue enhanced the shape of his chest and shoulders, while the rest of it was black that slenders his silhouette. On the background screens in the room, a set of download pages shun in tempos.

The rest of the files that Dimitri came with were being installed.

“Yes, Captain.” Dimitri doesn’t hesitate.

“Is calling you Dimitri fine?”

“Yes.”

“I have only three rules for you: Survive. Don’t scan me ever again without my authorization. My room is outlimits for everyone, the exception being me. Understood?”

“Survive. No unauthorized physical evaluation. Captain's lobby restricted." He rests his hands behind him, "Understood.”

“Good.”

The conversation ended. Silence was imminent as the bar of download drifted. Dimitri couldn’t analyze a status report, since her face was covered by that black helmet with interesting decoration. “Is there anything I can provide for you while we wait for the next step of my programming?”

Byleth stopped typing. She wanders on her thoughts until she takes a deep breath. Opening up to people used to be so easy before, now...it sometimes appears as she has forgotten how to. When she less wants it, feelings and thoughts come out.

“Answers. Are you certain you wish to be the Master AI of SSF-SIRIUS?" She deviates again, from herself this time. Always stray from concluse answers. " I can drop you off almost anywhere if you have changed your mind.”

“I am in need of orders and a home;you provide those for me, with pay, even if you have already purchased my services. I insist for you to input my responsibilities towards this spacecraft and you.” He offers a short bow and stays low.

“Very well, you will receive your responsibilities towards this spacecraft in a minute.” She deviates between mumbles, “You’re quite insisting on making a connection. Stand straight, there is no need for bows.”

“I can be whatever you want me to be.” He obeys, “My duty is to serve you in the best of my abilities.”

“For now, just be Dimitri. We can move ahead from there. Do you not have any ambitions?”

Dimitri starts saving the different wavelengths of her voice—perhaps then he may discern her emotions without risks of failures. She was...unpredictable to his calculations.“My model and kind have no need for ambition. That emotion is set only for humans.”

Byleth hesitates in her typing again. Dimitri takes notice of how her temperature changes by the small distance they are from each other.

“I do...find human connections interesting. They’re most appealing.” Dimitri admits softly, taking a step forward. “It may be that my interest for them peaks in the lack of experience with human emotions.”

Her hand pushes away the keyboard and takes off her helmet, teal hair falling on her shoulders gently as she turns towards him. He still had a sincere smile, but his eyes hid something deep within—it’s ironic that he says about lacking human emotions when an hour ago there was fear, anger and hope in his gaze.

Right now, there's something more. The small hairs on the back of her neck are slightly standing on edge. He's an attractive model, that's for certain. 

Dimitri tilts his head, “Do you have an order for me, Captain?”

“Yes, I think I do.” Byleth rests more on her seat, “Just do your best. It’s all we can do here in this galaxy.”

“Best...we can all do here in this galaxy?” Dimitri mutters, his eyebrows furrow just barely. “I...do not understand.”

“Congratulations, Dimitri.” Monotone she remains,”You have morals and existential dilemmas.” She stands, “Something not loyal only to humanity. Just as emotions.”

Dimitri blinks, his pupils shift around her features.

“Humanity is not relative to your physical form. This,” Byleth waves around her physique, “Doesn’t define your ability to feel, comprehend,live and belong somewhere as one who has morals and needs. Whoever has told you the contrary...is a dick. Fuck speciesism.” She leaves her helmet behind on her chair, “Do you enjoy eating, Dimitri?”

Dimitri nods, feeling his core heating up despite there is no need for combat. He adds the term "speciesism" and "fuck" to his dictionary. There's an odd sensation in the grinding mechanisms that works as a stomach, “Eating? I have no need for it.”

“I see. There’s no enjoyment if there’s no need?”

“I can’t say I have ever tried consuming things I have no need for in search of pleasure. Ah,” His eyes light up briefly, “Is this why you refuse to choose a relationship for me? You have no need for me and therefore you cannot enjoy my services.”

It was Byleth’s turn to blink, and just barely, her lips curved. No need for his services? Oh, the state of this place would prove how badly she needs the extra help, regularly being too stubborn and prideful to accept that fact. Or simply, she's still not ready to fight with someone that isn't Sothis when it comes to the command of this spacecraft. “What? Dimitri…” 

"I shall provide you anything you require of me. I have modified and re-calibrated my system to guarantee it."

"DI-MI-TRI."Her voice cracks with his name until she shakes her head. “Come over, there’s this vending machine that I need to show you. It’s a little old so there’s a special gimmick with it if you want something. Maybe a treat will ease you up a bit.”

It has been a while since she laughed, naturally. Her low chortle was quite dry. It almost feels foreign,the sensation of letting go of some weight.

Dimitri takes notice immediately of her smile. The twitch of her mouth was gentle. It went well with her large green eyes and the shape of her face. That odd sound stuck in her throat was worthy of being looped in his driver over and over. Even if he doesn’t designate the purpose for it.

He finds her to be mesmerizing. A character worth studying and serving. 

He truly needs his friends in order to provide the best service he can. He doesn't know why, but failure is not an option. Not only for her,but for Miss Annette and Miss Mercedes as well. “Ease me up? But the bolts inside me need to be tight.”

“All right.” Byleth’s mouth goes straight again, but she feels good. “We need to work on your cue intake. Cues are importing after all.”

“...Cues?” He tunes off.

Byleth offers him a gentle pat on his arm. She's still adjusting of having someone on bridge that is way taller than her; it wasn't unpleasant. “Well, maybe it would be a good idea to practice some social layers. How about being my lover, Dimitri? I haven't had one in quite a while.” She stops at seeing a message beeping in one of the many communicators in the spacecraft. “Halt for a moment.”

Byleth’s joke had been easy and slow, nothing showcasing serious intent. However, Dimitri kept adjusting his gaze on her back.

“Downloading tutorials…updating calendar.”

It's registered that today he was created. He can add that this date will host his anniversary next year.

Dimitri Eisner is a pleasant name.

* * *

* * *

**Thank you to emiemie27 for illustrating a future scene of this fic!**

****

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much to emiemie27 for illustrating Byleth and Dimitri on this story. Please be sure to check out the original post and leave a follow [here!](https://twitter.com/emiemie27/status/1349184593530920961?s=20)
> 
> Thank you for reading!
> 
> \---  
> [My cardd](https://blaiddydqueso.carrd.co/)  
> \---  
> Apologies if tags, grammar, and notes are constantly updated, there are kind people who give me feedback on certain things so I try to fix it right away. I'm sorry for those first readers who get to see this shit show so raw, you are truly the heroes of this community💕  
> \----  
> This story explores the characters from 3H. I apologize if anyone is offended with this interpretation.


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